Earlier U.S. patents in the name of John B. Long, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,273,766; 5,328,403; and 5,841,056, relate to the treatment of meat by explosive discharge, known as the Hydrodyne System. Certain presently pending U.S. patent applications relate to various improvements on the embodiments disclosed in the aforementioned patents (see for example corresponding publications WO 98/38875 and WO 98/54975).
In one such improvement, as disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/346,738 (see WO 00/01242), the meat is supported within a basket or container, which is substantially accoustically transparent to shock waves, i.e. shock-wave transparent, and of cylindrical configuration spaced within and concentric with a high-strength shock-wave reflective cylinder, the annular space between the cylinders being filled with water or the like, and the inner basket also being filled with water in the spaces between the pieces of meat. The explosive discharge is initiated at or near the inner periphery of the heavy-duty shock-reflective cylinder at two positions spaced 180.degree. from one another, or three positions spaced 120.degree. from one another, or four positions spaced 90.degree. from one another, etc., to provide balanced forces from opposite directions, and the explosive discharge may be produced by detonation of a chemical explosive, such as in strip form extending along the length or height of the heavy-duty shock-reflective cylinder, or from capacitive discharge.